2011 Grímsvötn Eruption Blanketed Iceland in Ash

In May 2011, Iceland’s most active volcanic system beneath the Vatnajökull glacier erupted. The eruption began the evening of May 21 and became the strongest at Grímsvötn in about a century. An ash plume shot up to roughly 20 kilometers high, visible across wide areas and spreading over much of the country in a short time. Ashfall spread widely across South Iceland and later reached the capital region, depending on wind direction. Heavy ash covered settlements under Vatnajökull and east of the eruption site, including Kirkjubæjarklaustur. Livestock was kept indoors, and residents in nearby rural areas closely followed updates from Almannavarnir, Iceland’s civil protection agency. Vísir photographer Vilhelm Gunnarsson traveled east of the eruption site with journalist Ólafur Kristján Ármannsson. "I decided to go into the ashfall east of the volcano rather than try flying over Vatnajökull," Gunnarsson said. "We stayed at Hótel Núpur east of Kirkjubæjarklaustur, but the old hotel wasn’t fully equipped for the ashfall. We had to cover all windows and doors with duvets and towels to try to improve indoor air quality." A rescue team delivered dust masks to hotel guests the next morning so they could safely leave in their cars.